Don’t let the warm October weeks fool you, colder weather is right around the corner! Before it gets too chilly, it’s time to evaluate your coat and jacket collections and make sure they are ready to keep you warm as the weather cools this Autumn and Winter. Whether it’s jean jackets, peacoats, or parkas, all have their place and work well to keep you fashionably warm throughout the cold weather season- make sure they look and feel brand new.
A local tailor for jackets can definitely help you refresh your cold weather collection. If you don’t have a tailor near you, always know that online tailors for coats are available for your convenience. These online tailoring services offer the same great quality and customer service as visiting a tailor shop but don’t require the extra effort of travel time. If you’re looking to add certain fabric to your garment or specific buttons or zippers, make sure to include them in your package!
It’s important to check all family member’s jackets, but make sure you inspect school-age children’s coats more closely, as these seem to get the most wear and tear. This is especially true for kids whose schools still allow a recess period, as most grade and middle schools do. New coats are sometimes necessary. When this time comes, try investing in quality, sustainable branded jackets so that they keep your kids warm and are easy as pumpkin pie to mend!
When taking inventory or your coat closet, make sure you look jackets over for these three key factors!
First Necessary Jacket Alteration: Repairing Tears and Holes
Tears or holes can happen to any part of a jacket. The most obvious (and easy to fix) are at the seams, where two pieces of fabric meet. Check cuffs and zippers for seams that are loose to have your top online tailor reinforce these to make sure these jackets keep you warm all Winter!
Holes and tears can occur in the middle of fabric as well- this often will require a darn, or many small stitches in the same color of the fabric to produce a closure for the damaged area. In some areas, such as the elbows of a jacket, patches could be added to cover any holes. Sometimes a tailor will have patches (though not always a guarantee), but if you are particular about keeping a certain style for the jacket, buy, bring, or ship your own! This is especially important for a streamlined online tailoring experience and to avoid having to send an additional package containing the patches.
Lastly, make sure to check the more unusual spots of your coats. Pockets are a commonly overlooked area that often develop holes. This defeats the purpose of a pocket altogether- they are imperative to get fixed. The inside lining of jackets easily get tears that aren’t always noticeable. Fixing these will ensure coziness during cold weather.
Second Necessary Jacket Alteration: Repairing Zippers, Snaps, and Buttons
Making sure your coats and jackets close is also essential to staying warm when the cold weather rolls in. Whether it is buttons, toggles, zippers, or snaps, it is imperative that they are all functional. This could mean replacing missing buttons or repairing snaps or zippers. Either way, give the front of your jackets a test drive by securing the closure all the way from top to bottom, even if this isn’t always how you’ll wear your coat.
Similar to the situation we discussed with patches, buttons and zippers might be available at your local tailoring shop. However, to avoid an unexpected trip to the fabric store, an additional package mailed to a top online tailor, or simply an undesirable jacket aesthetic, it is best to come prepared with these closures already picked out. Calling or emailing your local or online tailor is another way to avoid this mishap so your alterations can be performed efficiently and to your style preferences.
Third Necessary Jacket Alteration: Check the Overall Fit
Since it is often about 8-9 months between needing these coats and jackets, we often find that they don’t always fit quite the same as we remember. This can be especially true for school-age children still going through growth spurts. An ill-fitting coat can often be the cause for the aforementioned wear and tear. This is why it is important to take into consideration things like sleeve length and how the sides fit.
The general rule for tailoring services is that it is easier to take out fabric (make a garment smaller) than it is to add fabric (make a garment bigger). So, if sleeves or the jacket hem is too long, these can easily be taken up to hit a more preferred length. Likewise, the waist can often be taken in in a cinch by a top online tailoring service.
This isn’t to say a coat cannot be made larger to accommodate any type of growth, this would just be a more intense alteration. More communication will be needed between you and your tailor for jackets, but it is often possible to make a coat larger and roomier. As mentioned in the previous sections, it is often necessary for you as the customer to provide additional fabric to let the garment out, so contact your skilled tailor to get the requirements for these alteration needs!
For other inquiries about jacket and coat alterations, contact Tad More Tailoring via phone or email and stay warm out there!